Many films are getting ready for release in December. But Marakkar the movie with the tagline the Lion of the Arabian sea where Mohan Lal is doing the main role has become very popular. It is outstanding.
The trailer of the movie is very impressive and it is no less than that of a Hollywood pirate film. Arjun is also doing a pivotal role and Keerthi Shetty is the leading lady.
Sunil Shetty is also doing a role and Priyadarshan is the director of the movie. Ismail Marakkar – a rich Muslim marine merchant who was based in Kochi, secretly helped the Zamorin by offering his men and few ships.
But they were all destroyed by the Portuguese. Marakkar family then left for Ponnani in the Zamorin’s dominion. From 1507 to 1524, the Portuguese attacked Ponnani and destroyed the ships and forces of Zamorin.
These continuous attacks by the Portuguese were affecting the sea trade and the income of the kingdom. The traders here moved further north, probably in Kottakkal.
Few of these sea traders approached the Zamorin with their own plan to retaliate. Zamorin picked Kutti Ahmed Ali as the naval admiral of his fleet and gave him the title of Kunjali Marakkar and entrusted to protect the sea.
Though there is no clear picture of the Marakkar genealogy as per Kunjali Marakkar history, I believe in the version that suggests they were merchants from Egypt who settled down in Kochi for trade and later moved to Kozhikode. Kunjali Marakkar I (1520 – 1531), Kunjali Marakkar II (1531 – 1571), Kunjali Marakkar III (1571 – 1595) and Kunjali Marakkar IV (1595 – 1600) had fought eighty years of relentless war against the Portuguese. They had no warships, cannons and technology to match the Portuguese; instead had brilliant war strategies, qualities to lead the pack and excelled at guerrilla warfare at sea.
Of course, the history will be dramatised to suit the filmi needs and that too in different languages. Mohanlal has a market in all the languages and that makes the movie a hot cake.
